PFAS Groundwater Contamination Discovered at Tyco Plant

Tyco Fire Products discovered per- and polyfluorinated substance (PFAS) groundwater contamination at its manufacturing plant in Marinette, Wisc., located along the banks of the Menominee River, a tributary to Green Bay. In a statement released June 7, Tyco said they are currently in coordination with the U.S. EPA and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to assess groundwater controls and determine if additional measures are necessary.

Tyco, a manufacturer of specialized firefighting foams, previously found PFAS groundwater contamination near their fire training center in Dec. 2017 and supplied bottled water to approximately 100 homeowners with private well water. In some instances, the company even committed to install carbon filtration systems in the homes.

In the most recent findings, Tyco found PFAS groundwater contamination in monitoring wells near its riverside plant. More concerning, trace amounts of the emerging contaminants have been found in Marinette’s municipal drinking water, according to the city and Department of Natural Resources records. Officials do not consider this level to be dangerous, as reported by the Journal Sentinel. Additionally, elevated levels of the contaminants have been found in the city’s wastewater treatment system during tests from November 2017 and May 2018.